Now Reading: Rubber Board to launch digital platform INR Konnect for planters
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Rubber Board to launch digital platform INR Konnect for planters
The Rubber Board will launch a pilot digital platform called INR Konnect within a month to document untapped rubber plantations. Executive Director M. Vasanthagesan announced the initiative at the United Planters Association…
The Rubber Board will launch a pilot digital platform called INR Konnect within a month to document untapped rubber plantations. Executive Director M. Vasanthagesan announced the initiative at the United Planters Association of Southern India conference in Coonoor on Wednesday. He said the platform could boost production by 20% by connecting growers with tapping agencies.
The Board has also approached the Bureau of Indian Standards to create standards for compounded rubber, citing rising imports. Vasanthagesan noted that there is currently no monitoring mechanism for rubber imports, and standards are needed first to track them effectively.
Indian Opinion Analysis
India is the world's fourth-largest natural rubber producer, but domestic output has lagged demand for years, forcing mills to import. The gap has widened as smallholders, who own 90% of rubber area, often leave trees untapped during price slumps. The Board's platform tackles that idle capacity. Separately, the push for import standards addresses a regulatory blind spot: compounded rubber, used in auto parts, enters with no quality check, undercutting local compounders. The Bureau of Indian Standards will decide the timeline for framing the standard, and the platform rollout date will be watched for impact on domestic production figures in the coming months.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
